Port Elizabeth: MI Cape Town caused the first upset of SA20 Season 3 with a commanding 97-run victory over defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the tournament opener at a sold out St George’s Park.
The Orange Army had come out in their thousands to welcome home the back-to-back champions, but went back home disappointed as MICT delivered an inspired performance.
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Robin Peterson’s MICT outfit dominated all facets on the night with Dewald Brevis smashing 57 off just 29 balls (2×4; 6×6) to lift the visitors to 174/7 before Delano Potgieter and Trent Boult combined to dismiss the Sunrisers for just 77.
“Special bowler, special guy (Potgieter). He has not bowled much in T20s in the last couple of years and he delivered (tonight). So happy for him and all about the way he has adjusted on this wicket,” MICT captain Rashid Khan said.
Potgieter may have claimed the dreamlike career-best figures of 5/10, but it was the New Zealand international Boult (2/16) that set the tone with a superb new-ball spell that yielded a double-wicket maiden third over.
The 35-year-old showed his world-class ability to swing the new ball back into the right-hander, which accounted for Sunrisers’ England Test opener Zak Crawley.
Boult showed that he will be a major addition not only to the MICT squad, but also a wonderful asset to the league in its entirety.
It was the first time that MICT had beaten the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in five attempts since the inception of SA20 two years ago.
And it was only fitting that Brevis played a major role in the victory with the Rising Star delivering on his potential that was first seen in the competition opener at Newlands two seasons ago.
The 21-year-old was in rousing form striking the ball cleanly from the outset. His first task was to take on the dual spin of Simon Harmer and Liam Dawson before launching successive straight sixes off seamer Beyers Swanepoel.
One of Brevis’ half dozen sixes was caught one-handed in the crowd by Christopher Moolman, who became the first entrant into the ‘Catch R2million’ competition for Season 3 – winning Rs 90 lakhs (~ $105,600).
“Brilliant start for us, that is the kind of start you want in such competitions. We had a couple of tough years and then the start … the way Brevis batted and then the way we finished, it was special,” said Rashid in the presentation.
“He is someone who can change the momentum at any time. He has that skill and ability. He has delivered in the past, it was a brilliant innings under pressure.
“The way he hit the ball, it was amazing to see. In T20, you always need a good start, and someone like him (Boult), who had been doing it for a long time, that experience helps. That gave us a strong base and momentum,” he added.
Although MICT lost Brevis heading into the final five overs, the momentum was maintained by Potgieter (25 not out, 12 balls) and George Linde (23 not out, 17 balls) with an unbroken 41-run partnership.
The pair took 24 runs off Sunrisers’ Marco Jansen’s final over which swung the momentum in MICT’s favour which they never relinquished for the remainder of the evening.
MICT will hope to maintain their winning momentum when they face Joburg Super Kings at the Wanderers on Saturday, while Sunrisers will look to bounce back against Paarl Royals at Boland Park.
